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Season 1

The Owl House (2020)

[header art is by Dana]

Season 1, you were over so quick!

What sticks with me after the first 19 eps?

To me, Eda is the unassailable centerpiece. There’s something so subversively wonderful about a grumpy, scary, surprisingly foxy, slightly zombified junk-hocking old witch as a dubious yet secretly lovable caregiver, and that’s even before her heart-bursting arc of becoming a mom. Her premise is so strong, it’s hard for her writing to stray from the main idea, and I feel like she’s a really consistent anchor for the whole creepy-fun tone.

Luz is utterly adorable and makes a really strong fish-out-of-water protagonist. She’s really perfectly calculated to hit the Boiling Isles like a cueball in the break, being unstoppably curious, kind, and meddling, so she’s always got some crazy, scary situation or character to play off of. In a lot of ways she’s a very straightforward archetype, an earnest good-guy protagonist with well-meaning follies, and the writing, animating, and acting all really come together to give her an iconically offbeat charm that makes you love her for it. Her bright enthusiasm for the world around her is perhaps a less common character trait, and I feel like it helps give the show a wonderful, infectiously positive feeling. I also find her design itself really memorable, the queercut especially.

I think I’ve had less fun with King, but I do really like him as part of the dynamic, and I think his bombastic premise and weird design always give them something to work with.

I don’t think I’m particularly interested in Willow specifically, but she’s starred in a lot of my favorite episodes. Gus is consistently very funny on the sidelines. My enjoyment of Lumity really varies, but I love the core concept of the ship and when it’s good it’s amazing.

The Lilith story beats don’t always grab me, but the back-and-forth between the sisters is a delight. And in terms of the villains, we’ve really started to dip into creatively, weirdly scary territory that I’m excited for.

The core idea of Luz learning magic is something I really like, but I don’t think we actually see it that often. We don’t really see either Hexside or Eda teach her anything, and the glyphs are a very fun but very visually sparse idea. No gross potions, dangerous incantations, ingredient scavenging, sacrificial rituals. That’s too bad, I think! I would love to have Eda lessons as a hook into this funny, dark, creepy, yet still kind of mystical and beautiful twist on the apprentice fantasy. And to see how by-the-book magic would differ, versus how much it would still be saturated in the inherent freakiness of the Boiling Isles. Still, I do think we get some of that meat when we see characters practicing the many different schools of magic, which tend to be really creatively concieved.

For all the elements I love, it’s too bad how many episodes felt pretty unsatisfying.

It is strange to feel so much affection for the whole and come down so harshly on the parts. It makes me wonder if I’m judging unfairly. If the tone keeps feelings shallow and jokey, is that not on purpose? Is it beloved by the target audience?

But then, these reviews have never tried to be anything but subjective. It’s fun to think about what stuff delights me. There’s no objective condemnation of the things that don’t. My trash is another dimension’s treasure.

See you soon for Season 2!

#review #episode #no spoilers #the owl house

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1.19 | Young Blood, Old Souls

The Owl House (2020)

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-Spoilers-

I really didn’t see this one coming! Normally when I don’t like the tone as much, it feels annoyingly jokey. This is the first episode that could remotely be accused of being too dry.

I really don’t have much to say about this one. It was very serious, in a way that I didn’t find very interesting. Not unlike some of the She-Ra finales.

I liked the joke in the beginning with Eda and Lily being childish to each other. I also thought the design of the petrification machine was wonderfully over-the-top.

I remember when I first watched this, I was sad that Eda lost her powers so soon! It feels like we barely got to see her do any magic. We’ve seen her fight, but she hasn’t worked any creative or interesting enchantments. It feels so harsh that she has to start from square one. I don’t want to see Eda brought low!

I do love the idea of the pain-sharing spell.

I liked when Luz said, like, “tell it to the glyphs, witch!” clearly wanting to say “bitch.” It reminded me of that tweet about having to edit the swears out of the Adventure Time storyboards, with the panel of Finn saying “dude, what the fuck?” It’s fun to think that cartoon writers sometimes write with adult language in mind and then just censor it later. You may have noticed I myself normally avoid both of those bad words on this blog, which sometimes takes some creative rephrasing.

Next time: Thar be booty to find.

#review #episode #spoilers #3⭐️ #the owl house

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1.18 | Agony of a Witch

The Owl House (2020)

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-Spoilers-

God, I forgot this episode was brutal. Maybe the name should have tipped me off?

I love how it starts with the exact goofy tone and familiar animation as usual, but things take a turn. I lost it at the way Eda showed up with no patience and no banter because things had gotten real. The fight scene was so sharp and fast-paced in a way this show has never been before. Wow!

The beginning of this episode had that special tone! The one I was talking about last episode! The dynamic between Eda and Luz at home… it just felt so cozy and familiar, and also adorably funny.

Magic sghetti… 🥺

The tone on the school trip didn’t grab me as much. I did think it was cool seeing the students intersect with the government agents. Makes the world feel big. I loved Lilith’s “Good luck with puberty.”

Hey. Hey. I really like Kikimora. She is wonderfully creepycute. She really reminds me of Black from the indie game Iconoclasts – a calm, impatient, psychopathic bureaucrat.

I totally hadn’t remembered the enormous beating heart in Belos’s chamber. It’s awesome. Omg, the way we would hear it from elsewhere in the castle when things got scary? And the moment when the camera zooms in on the smiling wall mural with the sound of screams, just like daring you to imagine what it’s really depicting? Wonderful.

Okay, speaking of frightening. I always loved the way it turns out Hooty is actually an insanely competent fighter. And him having a weird tea party with unconscious soldiers, who are hidden in their helmets but slumped over? Just excellent.

That very last moment with Luz coming home tearful is so strong. I love that we just sit with the emotions for a moment. It makes me feel so connected to the main character.

You know something I’ve noticed about American cartoons? They, without fail, love the stripper cake gag. Oh, I love cartoons so much.

Next time: Eda gets stoned.

#review #episode #spoilers #5⭐️ #the owl house

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1.17 | Wing It Like Witches

The Owl House (2020)

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-Spoilers-

I have a new thought about the tone of this show. I think most of this episode was excellent in the energetic, comedic way. But that first moment with Boscha in the morning had a kind of calm, interesting energy that brings me straight back to when King and Eda were making fun of Luz in episode 2. I think that when this show slows down for a moment, it has this lovely tone where it’s so clear the writers have a really thoughtful understanding of the characters and their dynamics, and the world feels lived-in and full of different emotions. It’s only barely shown up so far, and it wasn’t present for the rest of the episode, even though the episode was lots of fun in a different way.

This episode was full of treats! The grudgby sequences were so fluid and cool, with all the magic on the field, like Amity’s big slime hands. I love the outfits with their crying eye paint. It was so cool how Luz learned a new glyph right in media res – that was the moment I was like, ‘oh, this episode has so much going on.’ The montage montage made me laugh as loud as it did the first time I saw this. Luz’s particularly aggressive slam on Quidditch was pretty funny.

I liked the sports story subversion where the moral wasn’t about getting victory through determination, but about achieving peace by being nice to the opponents. I love how much of that energy is in modern cartoons! It’s so interesting to track how wholesomeness and edginess in their myriad flavors go in and out of style.

Amity being Awkward Lesbian now mostly made me cringe, but I liked the ideas that set her off. Wearing ‘cute uniforms’… Being carried… Sweating? Easy there, girl!

I find something interesting about Willow is that her primary trait really isn’t being soft and gentle. She’s just downtrodden. Even though she’s a plants witch, she never really uses it for anything dainty, she’s always making big strong plants and aggressive thorny vines. Whenever she gets some confidence, she reveals her true form as a determined badass. Full of layers, that one…

Eda and Lilith’s relationship is so special. The way they’re genuine enemies but they can’t not take care of each other… The way they have their own little dynamic of bargaining and honor, each trying to win without hurting the other… The tension.

Oh and I loved King’s little cheerleader uniform.

In my notes I wrote down “Lilith was so hot” and I can’t remember which scene I was specifically thinking of but, man, I don’t doubt it.

Next time: Please let this be a normal field trip.

#review #episode #spoilers #5⭐️ #the owl house

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1.16 | Enchanting Grom Fright

The Owl House (2020)

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-Spoilers-

AAAAAAAH

THANK YOU MS TERRACE, 100 STARS

Man, I thought the last one was good; this just, like, filled me with joy. The unique joy of being someone who really likes cartoons.

I don’t even know how to put it, it’s just, like, all the strengths of The Owl House, no notes. Omg, the Lumity dance?? I am insane for stuff that’s dancing and combat at the same time. It was so pretty and sweet and great. The shipteasing is soooooo much fun. The way neither of them know it’s mutual but they just have all these moments where they understand each other and are focused on each other a little more than friends would be…

I think it took a little while in the show for Amity’s character to really interest me, but omg it is such a payoff the way her tenderness keeps showing through her armor. Thinking of her worrying about asking her cute little crush to the prom is making me melt. The photo at the end where Luz pulls her into frame and she has her little blush??

This episode had me thinking about how Luz looks through Amity’s eyes. She’s such a floppy, impulsive goofball compared to the latter’s composure. The idea that that’s what makes Amity think Oh God, I can’t NOT date her… It’s so sweet and funny. Also, I didn’t remember Luz actually calls herself a bad boy in this episode, like I did a few posts ago. 😆

I loved Amity reacting to Hooty (read: beating the shit out of him), it was so characterful and off-the-wall. I loved butch Eda. I loved Eda’s worry over Luz. She referred to her as her kid for one of the first times. PLEASE let her get to coparent Luz forever and ever… Omg, and I loved Luz’s goofy hybrid outfit, Amity’s elegant dress, Willow’s Tinker Bell ensemble… and the otter with a dark side! I feel like I remember Luz actually wearing the otter suit, that must happen later??

I loved Gus’s MCing. It was almost surprising to see him with that much personality and presence. I think he always has some funny lines but he’s not always as strong as in these last couple episodes.

I think Luz’s worries about her mom really didn’t stand out to me as much as the Amity and Grom drama itself, but it was definitely a strong thread. I loved her message at the end. That line, “Someday I’ll tell you all of this,” with the shot out the window, totally made me all nostalgic about all the crazy magical stuff that’s happened. And omg… the Vee teaser is so eerie but so cute. She wants to be taken care of so bad. 🥺 (If you don’t know the spoiler I’m referring to… don’t worry about it.)

Next time: Not your average underdog story.

#review #spoilers #episode #5⭐️ #the owl house

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1.15 | Understanding Willow

The Owl House (2020)

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PERFECT EPISODE <3

I feel like it just had all the things I’ve complimented before in a brilliant little package. It was wrapped up in a really sweet emotional story that always felt consistent and brought some nuance out of the characters, it was based in a really fun pretty magical set piece, the comedy was full of surprise and momentum, Luz was really cute. The characters were all really strong in both the A plot and the B plot.

The one moment I keep thinking of over and over is the smash cut from Luz trying to ring the bell to Eda doing her absurd bell performance, that just cracked me up.

Next time: Hail to the queens!

#review #no spoilers #episode #5⭐️ #the owl house

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1.14 | Really Small Problems

The Owl House (2020)

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Oh, the comedy was really on it today. This one was sharp as a tack, full of unpredictable lines and dark humor and adorable humor. And this episode really drew on the gross and scary setting vibes!

Tibbles is a fun villain. I like that he’s really simple and straightforward, he’s just the slimy guy that wants to get them, and he’s whimsically lampshading the trope all the time.

I think this one lacked some kind of Chemical X factor for me, though? I think it didn’t have the same, like, coziness, for whatever reason.

I liked Eda in that carnival dress!

Next time: Backstory powers!

#review #no spoilers #episode #4⭐️ #the owl house

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1.13 | The First Day

The Owl House (2020)

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This one had its ups and down for me! Some parts were really funny. I love the idea of the secret detention hideout where you get to study anything. And I love how the doors, like, just easily split open the walls or lockers on the other side, it’s so weird. But the misunderstanding was definitely the most contrived thing ever invented. And I don’t think it really tracked, how their unique skills let them defeat the basilisk. Maybe there could have been a thing where the basilisk… can only steal… one type of magic from a person at a time…?

Next time: The smallest show on Earth!

#review #no spoilers #episode #3⭐️ #the owl house

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1.12 | Adventures in the Elements

The Owl House (2020)

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It’s our first five-star! <3

The premise itself isn’t the most arresting to me (that might be Lost In Language?), but all the elements came together in such a lovely way. Clearly, Edric and Emira are the magic charm for great episodes.

Luz wanting so bad to be around Amity is so cute and so relatable. It hit a note that I feel like I haven’t seen in TV, personally. It kind of didn’t need to justify the feeling of really really wanting to be friends with someone you’ve only met a few times. I love that it drove the whole episode.

Their dynamic together is really interesting! I love that they’re still pretty distant but both, like, tentatively showing that they like each other once in a while. It also occurred to me that Amity still thinks Luz is kind of an unpredictable, selfish person and things keep happening to make her think that. Luz stole her stuff this episode. Amity thinks she’s the one taming the bad boy!

I love the new snowy environment and I love the theme about being patient with the unknown to find magic in nature. I love the sense of worldbuilding we get from seeing how the Blights study magic! Omg, I love the vulnerability of Amity needing a training wand. The way she’s queen witch at school but has no power or dignity at home is endlessly compelling.

The main thing I actually didn’t like was the really overwrought lying gags. I guess that works for some people! It just makes me cringe!

Next time: It’s tough to be the new kid.

#review #no spoilers #episode #5⭐️ #the owl house

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1.11 | Sense and Insensitivity

The Owl House (2020)

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I didn’t expect this to be a favorite, but it was! I was very ‘sitcom tropes’, so I thought it might feel like it was trying too hard and not using the show’s strengths, but instead the balance worked really well. It was kinda like, this could probably happen to any set of characters, but I love that it happened to these characters. <3

King was such a little bastard today. Truly, his worst qualities to the fore! And Luz’s hurt feelings were so sincere and touching! Poor baby girl. It’s so cute that she loves tropey feel-good friendship romance adventure stories. Thinking about the gushy fantasy slop she might have written makes me melt into a puddle.

Eda and Lily’s dynamic was soooo fun once they really met up. The layers of affection and frustration feel really natural. Although earlier, Lily’s dismissal of Eda’s abilities felt so strange and out of nowhere that I was entirely certain she was the one trying to bait Eda into a trap. (Hey! This is the first episode that I’ve only seen once before!) I can’t believe they both fell for the exact trick Luz fell for in the second episode. I like how The Owl House is a show about how you shouldn’t trust men.

This show has so much going on. Even in the episodes I don’t like as much, there’s always new ideas being introduced or developed. It’s exciting!

Next time: Don’t get put in the baby class, for babies.

#review #no spoilers #episode #4⭐️ #the owl house

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1.10 | Escape of the Palisman

The Owl House (2020)

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I didn’t remember this as one of my favorites cause I think the main set pieces and a lot of the jokes didn’t grab me as much. But it has such a fun, cozy, playful vibe!

Cute Luz was in top form today. She just lights up a room. I think when she’s written like this, saying things in a sweet, odd, idiosyncratic way, she just multiplies the charm of any plotline.

I really like what’s going on with the Bat Queen which I guess I won’t spoil here! It’s a really cool twist. And the main arc is really sweet! I love hurt/comfort.

But I wasn’t that interested in the trials drama or Hexside pride. (Wait, that makes me imagine a Boiling Isles pride parade, which is practically something that could happen in this show 🥺) It’s really hilariously bland that Gus’s personality in this episode is waving flags. But still, I got some good laughs out of him and his line reads, like “must be the dorsal fins” and “that was a bad plan!”

I really enjoyed Eda in this one too. Real Eda’s characterization in her few scenes felt really sharp, and Beast Eda’s acting had so much personality! I got such an interesting sense of what she was thinking and how much she was ‘present’.

Next time: King, will you sign my review??

#review #no spoilers #episode #4⭐️ #the owl house

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1.9 | Something Ventured, Someone Framed

The Owl House (2020)

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Like a lot of these, pretty fun, but not replete with stuff I love!

My favorite scenes were absolutely the Eda stuff. I thought she and Principal Bump got to be more characterful and interesting than anyone else. And the photos at the end, OMG. <3

I really liked the detention monster and the trouble sniffers. That stuff was for real freaky! I love when Hexside is a nightmare dungeon!

Next time: Be kind to your teacher’s pet.

#review #no spoilers #episode #3⭐️ #the owl house

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1.8 | Once Upon a Swap

The Owl House (2020)

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Okay, I’m just going to state something up front here.

I AM OBSESSED WITH KING-LUZ.

Somehow that amalgamation of design and personality elements just makes me become insane. She/He is so! Freaky! And cool!!! The way he crawls and scuttles around and claws his hands and grimaces while also being a tall futchy preteen with blazing yellow eyes?? Don’t tell me you don’t see the majesty.

Luz-Eda was also really precious. I love the way Luz’s gentle, enthusiastic energy instantly fits any container.

So yeah, I’d say the teens arc was my favorite, and I liked how much madcap momentum this episode had, but it really didn’t have a lot to it! The characters really only had one note to play. I try not to criticize things for being “predictable cartoon tropes”, because if I didn’t like those, then what the hell do I watch ‘em for? But with The Owl House, I am ever so eager for some really touching and specific character writing.

It was an interesting and strange energy when Lilith got involved and we got some serious stuff about Eda’s past. I was like, “Hold on! The characters are not equipped for plot development, they are in a simple comedy episode! Please come back later!”

This episode reminded me strikingly of the classic film of my childhood Tom & Jerry and the Magic Ring. A sequence of magical mishaps leads a multiplicity of angered parties to close in on the protagonists, who get away in the nick of time with one more absurd supernatural trick. A grumpy bulldog is there!

Next time: Cultural exchange!

#review #no spoilers #episode #3⭐️ #the owl house

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1.7 | Lost in Language

The Owl House (2020)

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-Spoilers-

Aaaaah one of my favorites so far!

It took a little bit but it really hit its stride. Everything with Edric and Emera was so fun! The pranks were very funny, I love how Luz is crushing on them, I love the way they’re playful manipulators. The unexpected set pieces, like the magical book event and Amity’s secret hideout, felt so effortlessly fun and mystical in the middle of the really good character scenes.

The characters had so much nuance here that just fit neatly within the quirky comedy action. So far it feels like the show only goes there once in a while. I want more! I want more!!

Eda and King’s baby plot felt a little rote, but the way they came to love them at the end was really sweet.

Oh, and Yi Yi…

Yi Yi is mommy.

Next time: Freaky Fraturday!

#review #spoilers #episode #4⭐️ #the owl house

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1.6 | Hooty’s Moving Hassle

The Owl House (2020)

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I really like that the episodes in this show are long! I only remembered this one being about the house conjuring, but there was also curse stuff, monster hunters, and evil Griffin McElroy! I like that a lot can happen.

This episode is carried for me by Halloween vibes. Witchy sleepovers, witchy social media, Baba Yaga houselegs, Willow’s little pumpkin dress. I would love more adorable teen drama about besting the mean girls’ party. Also, I have always adored a lot of the background girls’ designs. They are so cute!

I think my favorite scene was when when they began the conjuring! That had such a fun, enthusiastic energy, whereas the writing in a lot of the other scenes felt choppy and unsatisfying.

Eda’s card game obsession (that never was and never will be heard from again) was so goofy, I couldn’t believe it. It’s just such a quintessentially cartoonish unsatisfying trope. I think it could have worked way better if it was more clearly about her cocky need to beat the system, rather than focusing so much on the game itself!

Oh, here’s another thing! The idea that Eda’s curse is getting harder to ward off, and that she by no means has easy access to her medicine, honestly feels really scary! God, I worry for her!

Next time: Get learned at the stake!

#review #no spoilers #episode #3⭐️ #the owl house

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1.5 | Covention

The Owl House (2020)

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-Spoilers-

Again, I really like the stuff that happens, but the writing itself falls kinda flat! Some lines made me laugh or reminded me why I love the characters, but others felt forced.

I really like how interesting Amity is! It’s so fun that she’s being the antagonist but then she gets the rug pulled out from her too and she and Luz have that realtalk moment.

I forgot how mean Lily can be!! Woooow~! She’s pretty scary here! (Also, the first time I watched this I certainly thought Lily and Eda were exes.)

I always really enjoy the way Eda is with the other kids. Which is to say, responsible but quite mean.

The grownup duel is pretty rad. Eda’s Hooty-themed extrusion attacks are so weird and specific and cool??

Like the first episode, this episode has something I find really cool about The Owl House, which is that political themes are introduced in a low-stakes context but become really serious later. The role of the covens in governance are going to become this huge sinister thing, but here, they’re a mildly sinister thing that’s part of everyday life. It feels so realistic!

My favorite scene is definitely when Luz is worried about the duel. I always think about “and I think she’s gonna kill me all the way dead!” And the adorable way she pulls into her hoodie and falls down, and then when she shakes her head with that concerned little smile. I love when she gets to act in such a unique and characterful way.

I also love the ending moment where Luz is worried about being a “real witch”, and it catches Eda completely by surprise and she just shoots down the concept. That’s my favorite version of the writing.

Next time: Witchy sleepover!

#review #spoilers #episode #3⭐️ #the owl house

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1.4 | The Intruder

The Owl House (2020)

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-Spoilers-

I’d say I liked the ideas of this one more than the execution!

The owlbeast is really cool, the twist is great, I love that it’s a slashery horror episode. I love the really genuine real-life theme about Eda managing her illness, and Luz discovering her magic is so sweet.

I don’t think the writing really carried it for me though. Like it was trying too hard to be funny or make the point obvious, and didn’t have as much personality? And I didn’t get all that immersed in the terror, even though they had some of those wonderful ‘monster scrabbling down the hallway toward you’ shots.

King’s arc feel just so very flat for me. Sorry, King. It just felt like it kept being loudly stated without anything to hook my feelings.

I think my favorite moment was the introduction of the acid rain. Both Luz being extremely cute about rain, and then the harsh creepiness of the Boiling Isles’ nature.

When I watched this episode, it was raining hard outside my window. It hasn’t where I live for months and months. It was really nice.

Next time: Witch coven are you?

#review #spoilers #episode #3⭐️ #the owl house